Advertisement
Published: October 15th 2009
Now, as you're reading these entries, don't think that a trip down Route 66 is all play and no work. It's draining at times- mentally, emotionally, and physically. When we headed out of St. Louis this morning, I had little more than four and a half hours worth of sleep. When you've been driving all day and you try running off of that kind of recharge, you're in for a crash... well, not a car crash hopefully... an energy... anyway, you're asking for it. But just as I begin to think that the interstate may be more feasible, that old stretch of two lane, broken and faded roadway laid out like a ribbon across the hills pulls me back. Craig and Dottie Bridegam are secretly weary, I know. But they remain upbeat and continue to follow Misti and I along our journey. This morning we headed to the old Chain of Rocks Bridge which carried Route 66 traffic over the Mississippi River from 1929 to 1967. The most fascinating thing about the bridge is it's 22 degree bend at the middle of the crossing. Misti and I walked to the center crest to get some shots through the fog. It is
a breathtaking piece of history and a "must see" if you are ever in the St. Louis area. Our next stop was Meramec Caverns in Stanton, MO. Meramec is dubbed "Jesse James' Hideout" as he used to camp out deep in the caverns with his brother in the 1870s. I'm not usually a sucker for tourist traps, but this being a Route 66 icon, we had no choice. I have to say, of all the cavern tours I've taken, that one was the most pleasant mainly because I didn't have to climb treacherous staircases in the dark. As we made our way further down the "Mother Road", we took a short jaunt down a Route 66 spur to "Devil's Elbow" in Pulaski County. It earned it's name being such a devil of an elbow in the road. It overlooks the Big Piney River and was a great photo op. Leaving "Devil's Elbow", we follow more alignments of the old road, but the scenery today was breathtaking as the fall leaves began to turn. Occasionally, we would see remnants of old businesses gone by, tucked into the background of overgrowth, or forgotten between newer, fresher facilities. There's a little sadness down
the road when even the business ventures meant to attract Route 66 rebirth and nostalgia, go by the wayside. It's enlightening to look at where we've come from in the last 100 years, but quite sobering to see where we are going. Our journey ended today in Springfield technically, but we drove into Branson to see "Noah", a fictional but powerful interpretation of Noah's story. I must say, I wish I ended every day with that feeling of enthusiasm for Christ, but a new perspective on the Bible. Words don't convey the sights and sounds of this presentation. One needs to experience it in person to fully comprehend the scope of what happened within the walls of that theater. God moved. Needless to say, it was a good day.
For audio of Spence's correspondence with the "Maule in the Morning" radio show, copy the address below and paste it in your address bar. http://kiwi6.com/upload/hotlink?id=6a3ciigl
Advertisement
Tot: 0.069s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 10; qc: 49; dbt: 0.0365s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Jackie Badders
non-member comment
Enjoyed your post of your trip. If you haven done it yet you ought to consider the Hwy 1 Pacific Coast Highway next. Jeff and I just took a week to drive from San Fran to Los Angeles. We mostly stayed at local motels along the way. The trip could have been longer but we have been to SF recently and weve spent a lot of time in the LA area so we merely used those two places to fly in and out of, other wise I would say 10-14 days would have been needed. And yes, traveling is extremely taxing and demanding takes alot out of a person. Ha-seriously, I did sleep a solid 9 hours the first night back at home; not normal.